Kickstart a dystopia: 2084

Orwell’s 1984 has shaped our perceptions of what a society should aim to be, and when alarm bells should ring. It’s interesting that he wrote of the perils of the development of a language that would influence how we thought about the world, only to have his own use of language undoubtedly influence ours, in complex and fearful ways.

Writing about dystopian futures is a delicate and unpredictable business.

So, in the age of Big Brother and Room 101, let’s see where the written word can take us next. Maybe the authors in this frankly gobsmacking line-up will put together some ideas that we end up identifying with, bandying about, and using as touchstones on our path to 2084.

The good news for me is that people already bandy about the inspiration behind my take on the future. Life is a rollercoaster, they say. They even sing it in pop songs. I’m guessing they didn’t mean a rollercoaster quite like the one in my story in this anthology, though. Fund the book and get a copy to read about the future according to Christopher Priest, Jeff Noon, Lavie Tidhar, Anne Charnock, James Smythe, Ian Hocking, Cassandra Khaw, Oliver Langmead, Desirina Boskovich, David Hutchinson, and me.

(I should just add – look at the cover! So gorgeous, and there’s also a limited edition one on the Kickstarter website which is just as perfect for the anthology.)